australia day in clackline

guess who hasn't returned the train yet? this guy. australia day in clackline was a hit with grandad doing runs for the kids again. being a goodlet grandad is legit the best thing ever. i'm jealous of my own kids lol.

i love that my parents get right in on the action and love having the kids about... but i love that my dad will tell us when it's time to go home cause he's had enough. i swear his patience is thinning out the older he gets.

my mum busted out these adorable lamingtons with gumleaf decorations

and a pavlova - of course, cause it wouldn't be australia day without one. how unaustralian would we be if there was no pavlova at our australia day party?

and my contribution, banoffee pie!

and when uncle isaac appeared with his quad bike, these two were loving it. i'm glad to see the next generation of goodlet girls like petrol as much as i did. ❤

 

"australia" day lunch

i am the only aussie in the kendall crew. (and very often amongst my friends... i am surrounded by kiwis!) my kids are half and half, my in-laws are one kiwi, one samoan... and every year when australia day rolls around, they make fun of me when i want to celebrate. but i don't care. i will do it anyway.

this year i said we were having australia day lunch and invited them over for a bbq. keryn (my in-laws next door neighbour - also a flipping kiwi) came too. these are the faces i got when i told them to smile and say "happy australia day!" hahaha. steve did that face on purpose just to ruin my picture, maddie smiled and doug muttered something about how our government doesn't want him because his citizenship application hasn't been approved yet. sigh. 

but that's my life. surrounded by new zealanders and very happy to be:

the token aussie.

i love this country and i feel lucky every, single, day, to be here and be blessed with all i have. ♥

i am australian

it's australia day today. the day in 1788 that the first fleet of 11 convict ships arrived and set up in what is now the state of new south wales. the day the union jack was raised and waved proudly in the air. the day our country was settled by people other than the original owners of the land.

i am a proud australian. my family did not arrive on convict ships, they arrived from england and scotland to begin a new life here and raise a family in what we know as the "lucky" country... and i am grateful every single day that they did. we are free! free to have opinions, live where we like, worship who we like and to learn and progress and grow. what a wonderful place to live! 

i love the words of our national anthem, which really explains it all:

australians all let us rejoice

for we are young and free!

we've golden soil and wealth for toil

our home is girt by sea

our land abounds in natures gifts

of beauty rich and rare

in historys page, let every stage

advance australia fair!

in joyful strains then let us sing

advance australia fair

beneath our radiant southern cross,

we'll toil with hearts and hands

to make this commonwealth of ours

renowned of all the lands

for those who've come across the sea,

we've boundless plains to share

in courage let us all combine,

to advance australia fair!

in joyful strains then let us sing

advance australia fair

with all the turmoil and craziness that is going on in the world today, with all the anger and biting from the world leaders even... i am even more grateful to be home and safe, in australia, the luckiest country! i am australian, born and bred... and so lucky to be so.

fun fact: the reason the kangaroo and the emu were chosen on the australian coat of arms is because not only are they animals found solely in australia, but both of them are unable to "walk" (move?) in a backwards direction. both are only able to move forwards, as was (and still is!) the hope for australia, to be a country that is always moving forward and progressing at all times.  

young and free

australians all let us rejoice - for we are young and free

how blessed i am to live in what i truly believe to be the best country on earth. i could have been born anywhere on earth, but for some wonderful reason the lord blessed me with australia. 

it is a land of plenty, where we live in completely laid back harmony, in this amazing climate, with beautiful beaches, such unique landmarks and wonderful opportunities. how lucky i feel, especially on this day when we celebrate the arrival of the first fleet and the settlement of those who arrived from england, more than 200 years ago. our country is truly still young and will continue to grow in years to come - but i love it. i love everything it has to offer.

for a laugh check out this parody of outkast's hey ya - dedicated to "straya"

and some fun facts: 

-the kangaroo and the emu feature on our coat of arms as the both cannot walk backwards, representing our country that is always moving forwards

-of the top most venomous snakes in the world, 1-11 are found in australia, and 20 of the top 25 (we often joke that everything here wants to kill you.)

happy australia day to you all!

australia day in freo...

on saturday (australia day this year yay!) doug maddie and i went to visit my friend hayley in fremantle for the day. first stop was to her little flat, to park and then hit the town... omgosh i am in love! the most adorable little place, filled with bright colours, eclectic little knick knacks, an old kitchenette complete with peeling paint and ripped off doors... and just a whole pile of general awesomeness. i wanted to move in right then and there!! sorry hayley but it's true. i talked about it the entire way home and then tried to convince doug that we needed to rent one and move in, baby and all! after picking up 20 odd things at hayleys place she insisted i needed to check out the store most of them were from and off we went. the shop called 'corner store' was amazing... and thankfully they even have an online store here for me to drool over... again omgosh i am in love. i don't know how i didn't manage to find it earlier... it was like all my favourite things in one store, and had i this weeks lottery winnings, i would have quite likely bought every single thing that they had in stock. mads had fun looking with hayley and somehow managed to convince that she needed a photo in this gorgeous little teepee. what a doll!

i am so in love with these curtains, totally want to buy them, although i assume that they probably aren't for sale, perhaps i'll just have to make my own! i am sure that mum has more than enough of the old fabric required to make them. love love love! i could have spent all day there, but after buying these gorgeous lights for maddie's room and a pink plastic rose compact we hit the road again, off to the markets and then the freo gsi where i did my best to make hayley fall in love with my greatest love in life, opshopping! she promptly scored a $200ish dress for $15 - good girl and i blissfully browsed my way through the arcade of 3 separate gsi stores in the one arcade. what a lovely day.

maddie's new babushka lights from corner store. love them.

on our way back to hayleys we stopped into the markers again and i spied these delightful wonders, macaroons from maison saint-honore, i honestly thought i had died and gone to heaven. yum yum yum.

we got mango, raspberry, pitaschio, salted caramel and coconut and they were amazing. if only i were a millionaire... sigh. we had the best day and i had so much fun. can't wait for the next one, thanks hayles! x

triple j hottest 100

so i forgot to point out the other important thing about

australia day

- the triple j hottest 100 of course!

it is imperative, that even if one is not usually a triple j fan

- that one must listen to triple j on australia day to:

1. see how many random songs they know

and 2. see what tune has cracked this years number one!

after all - it is tradition!

to check out this years results

click: here

australia day

australians all let us rejoice,

for we are young and free;
we've golden soil and wealth for toil,
our home is girt by sea;
our land abounds in Nature's gifts
of beauty rich and rare;
in history's page, let every stage
advance australia fair!
in joyful strains then let us sing,
"advance australia fair!"

beneath our radiant southern cross,
we'll toil with hearts and hands;
to make this commonwealth of ours
renowned of all the lands;
for those who've come across the seas
we've boundless plains to share;
with courage let us all combine
to advance Australia fair.
in joyful strains then let us sing
"advance australia fair!"

last night dannii, cody, chad, doug and i hit up the australia day fireworks in kings park (yes, we braved it and walked there from my work.) i still haven't decided whether or not it was worth the walk, but as always it was a spectacular show!!

i am so proud to be an australian, and especially on australia day...
there's quite simply no where i'd rather be! :)